Control apparatus for steam-boilers, &amp;c.



W. S. ELLIOTT.

CONTROL APPARATUS FOR STEAM BOILERS, Aw.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 27. 1914.

1,281,316. Patented Got. T5, T918.

3 SHEETSSHEET I.

iNVENTGR W. S ELLIOTT. CONTROL APPARATUS FOR STEAM BOILERS, 6L0.

APPLKCATION FILED NOV. 27. 1914. i1. 28 1 3 1 6 Patented Oct. 10, 1918.

3 SHEETS-SHEEI 2.

REE

v INVENTOR mam may W W. S. ELLIOTT. CONTROL APPARATUS FOR STEAM BOILERS, 8m.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 27, 19M.

Patented Oct. 15, 1918.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

tion, in wbic WILLIAM S. ELLIOTT, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA.

CONTROL APEPARATUS FOR STEAM-BOILERS, 8w.

, Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed November 27, 1914. Serial No. 874,186. p

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, VvILLiAM S. ELLIOTT, a citizen of the United States, residing at Pittsburgh, in the county of Allegheny'and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Control Apparatus for Steam-Boilers, 63cc, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming part of this specifica- Figure l is an elevation largel-y'diagrammatic-showing the application of my invention to a battery of four boilers;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation partly broken away showing the damper-actuating connections;

Fig. 3 is a view partly in side elevation and partly in vertical section of one of the regulators; and

Fig. 4 is sectional view showing a regulator on a, larger scale.

My invention has relation to steam boiler control, and is designed to provide controlling apparatus of simple, efficient and reliable character, whereby a. group or battery of steam boilers may be automatically controlled in such a way that a substantially uniform steam pressure and a substantially constant efficiency may be maintained.

My invention also provides a regulator forming a part of the controlling apparatus, and which may also be used for a variety of other purposes.

The particular nature of my invention will be best understood by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which I have shown the preferred embodiment 'thereof and which will now be described, it being premised, however, that the invention is susceptibleof various changes in the construction and arrangement of the parts, without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

In these drawings, the letters A, B, C and D designate four steam boiler furnaces and boilers, to which my improved controlling apparatus is shown applied. For each boiler furnace, I provide a suitable motive device, such as the double-acting fluid-actuated cylinder 2. The piston rod 3 of each cylinder 2 is connected to some suitable device or devices for controllin the furnace of that particular boiler. In t edrawingsl have shown this controlling device as consubstantially constant .sistingiof a stack damper 4, counterweighted at 5, and having a flexible connection 6, eX-' tending from pulleys 8 and leading to the piston rod '3. The furnace-controlling de- V108 may, however, be of various other characters. For instance, a connection may Patented Oct. 15,1918.

extend from the piston 3 to the ash pit door 1 of the furnace, to a steam blower valve, to"

a fan engine valve, to the valve or controller which controls the operation of the furnace to the valve which controls the sup 1y of gas to the furnace. I have indicated at 9' in Fig. 2 an auxiliary connection, which may be led to any one or more of these devices, as may be desired. I also provide for each furnace and boiler a regulating device by means of which the supply of actuating fluid to the motor 2 of that furnace is c0nstokers, or in the case of a gas-fired furnace,

line or header E supplied by the boilers.

The pressure chambers 13 of the several regulating devices have connections 16 with a pipe hne 17, which leads to a source of air receiver 18, supplie pressor 19.

The two diaphragms of each regulator are connected by a member 20, to which a lever 21 is pivoted at the point 22. To counterbalance the weight of the diaphragms and their connection 20, the arm 21 on the lever 21 has a counterweight 23; and this arm is. suspended from the frame 24 oftheregulator by a link 25. The other arm of thci by a pump or comlever 21 has a jointed connection 26 with the stem 27 of a pilot valve. This pilot valve consists of two piston portions 28 and 29,

which are arranged to reciprocate in a cas ing or cylinder 30. This casing or cylinder has an inner lining sleeve 31, formed at its upper end portion with :an exhaust opening- 33. 'The'lower end portion of the bushing is formed with a similar exhaust port'34,-

82, and with a series of smaller outlet ports nect the interior of the'sleeve 31;with an outlet connection 36 from which a pipe 37 leads to the upper end of the cylinder of the hydraulic motor for that boiler. The port 34 and openings 35 open into a connection 38, from which a pipe 39 leads into the lower end portionof the cylinder. The valve casing or cylinder is provided at the bottom with an exhaust connection 40, having a passage '41 leading'upwardly into a bowl-shapedchamber 42, at the upper part i of the casing. This passage 41 is provided to carry off any water which exhausts above through the port 32, as

the valve portion 28,

hereinafter described. Each pilot valve casing has a supply connection opening" into the sleeve 31, intermediate the two'pistonportions 28 and29. The connections 30 from the several regulators lead to a supply pipe 30 which, in turn, may lead to any suit ab e source. of supply.

- The numerals 43 and 44 designate two springs, which are connected to opposite sides of the'pilot valve operating arm of the lever 21. These springs are connected at their outer ends to adjustable bolts 45, mounted in the framer24. In practice, these .bolts are adjusted to a point where the I springs 43 and 44 are about to be put under tension. The urpose of these springs is to render the-action of the, regulator less sen v ,sitive and prevent excessive slight oscilla-- tions ofthe lever 21, such as would other- .wise be caused by small variations in the opposing pressures in the pressure chambers '12'and13. 1 I

In practice, it is desirable that the several 1' regulators of the several motors 2 shall act successively u on the boilers; that is to say,

that one of t e boilers'shall at first be cut out or in, and if this does nottake care of the decreased or increased demand for steam,

then a second boiler shall be cut out-or in and so on throughout the battery or group. In this manner, the boilers not affected remain at their maximum efiiciency. The arrangement should also be such that the last boiler to be cut out or slowed down will bathe first one to be again out in or speeded up, since such boiler is in the best condition to be quickest restored to its maximum efficiency. To accomplish these objects, the

; fore, will, of course, be the first operate in the reverse directioaunder thereversepilot valve actuating arm of each lever 21 is provided with .an adjustalile counterweight 46, shown in Figs. 1 and 3. By a proper adj ustment-of these'counterweights, it will be readily seen that the regulator or boiler A may be made to operate under a less change in pressure in the steam line than the regulator or boiler B, and so on,- through the series of regulators. Thelast regulator to operate in one direction, therecondition oi pressurein the-steam lined;

- The advantages'of my invention will be readily apparent, since it provides a very snn'ple and efiicient system of boiler control which can be relied upon to accurately and:

automatically take care of widely varying demands on a battery of boilers. For instance, in the case of a peak load coming more or less suddenly on or oil the boilers,

' balanced condition. Any increase in pres-.

surein the chamber 12 will move the pilot valve downwardly until its portion 19 begins to uncover the series of openings 35, tl'nerehy admitting actuating, fluid to the lower end of the corresponding i'notor cylinderi At the same time, the downward movement of the valve portion 28 will uncover the exhaust opening 82 and permit the actuating fluid to flow out of the cylinder 2 and through the passage 41- to the outlet 42. On the other hand, any material decrease of pressure in the chamber 12, efiects a reverse movement of the'pilot valve by which the exhaust port] 34 isopened with a simultaneous successive opening of the ports It will be obvious that the regulating apparatus as shown in Fig. 4 can be used for a variety of other purposes, wherein it is desired to control a valve or other device.

Certain broad features ofmy invention not claimed herein are claimed in my pending a plication, Serial No. 867 ,162, filed October" 1 1914.

I claim:- 1. The combination-with a plurality of steam boilers and their furnaces, of a regulator for each furnace, a motive device for each regulator, a controller for each motive device, a normally open pressure connectionv between each controller and a common pipe line supplied by. the boilers, and means whereby different motive devices require different changes 1n the pressure in said pipe line to effect their operation, substantially as described. g

2. The'combination with a plurality or steam boilers and their furnaces, of a regu lator for, each furnace, a motive deviceior. ea'ch regulator, a controller for each motive.

lit

device, a normally open pressure connection between each controller and a common pipe line supplied by the boilers, and'means whereby the number of such devices which will be operated by any change in the pres 13ft sure in said pipe line will depend upon the extent of such change, substantially as de scribed.

3. The combination with a plurality of steam boilers and their furnaces, of a regulater for each furnace, a motive device for each regulator, a controller. for each motive device, a normally open pressure connection between each controller and a common pipeline supplied by the boilersnland means whereby the different motive "devices-will operate in predetermined order upon change in the pressure in said common pipe, substantially as described.

4. The combination with a plurality of steam boilers and their furnaces, of a reguof such change,'substantially as described.

v5. The combination with a plurality of boilers and their furnaces, of a regulating device for each furnace, a motor for operating each regulating device, a controller for A each motor, each controller having a pressuremember having a pressure connection atone side with a common pipe line supplied by said. boilers, and a connection at the other side with a source of constant fluid pressure, the different controllers having means whereby. they operate by different changes of pressure in the common pipe line, substantially as described.

6. The combination with a plurality of boilers and their furnaces, of a regulating device for each furnace, a motor for operating each regulating device, a controller for each motor, each controller. having a pressure member having apressure connection at one side with a common pipe line supplied by said boilers, and a connection at the other side with a source of constant fluid pressure, the different controllers having means whereby they will operate in a definite predetermined order, as described.

7. The combination with a plurality of boilers and their furnaces, of a regulating device for each furnace, a motor for operating each regulating device, a controller for each motor, each controller havinga pressure member having a pressure connection at one side with a common pipe line supplied by said boilers, and a connection at substantially,

.the other side with a source of'constant fluid pressurmthe different controllers having means whereby they w ll operate in a definite predetermined order, and whereby the number of controllers which will operate in any given period is dependent upon the extent of the changes in said period in the pressure in said pipe line, substantially as described.

8. The combination with a plurality o boilers and their furnaces, of a regulating device for each furnace, a motor for operating such regulating device, a controller for each motor,-each controller having a pressure member having a pressure connection at one side with a common pipe line supplied by said boilers, and a connection at the other side with a source 'of constant fluid pressure, the different controllers having means whereby they will operate in a definite predetermined order and in reverse order under opposite changes in pressure in said common pipe line, substantially as described.

9'. The combination with a plurality of boilers and their furnaces, of a regulating device for each furnace, a motor for operating each regulating device, a controller for each motor, each controller having a pressure member having a pressure connection at one side with a common pipe line supplied by said boilers and a connection at the other side with a source of constant fluid pressure, together with variable loading means for said pressure members whereby they may be made to operate in a predetermined order, substantially as described.

10. The combination with a plurality of lator for each furnace, a motive device for .each' regulator, a controller for each motive device, and a pressure connection between each controller and a steam chamber commonto the steam delivery or all the boilers, said regulators having means whereby they may either all be set to operate substantially simultaneously under. a predetermined change in the condi said steam chamber, or 'to operateflicces 5 1/ sively in any desired order under diiiere'ial changing conditions in said chamber, sub} stantially as described. i

12. A regulator comprising two connected diaphragm members, a lever operatively consteam boilers and their furnaces, of a regu-,

nected to both said rnembers, a shiftable weight on one arm of said lever, and a control device operatively connected with said lever, together with 0 posin sprin s eachconnected at one end to said tially as described. 7

13'. A regulator comprising two connected ver, substandiaphragm members, a lever operatively lever, together with opposing springs each stantially as described.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto setmy hand.

WILLIAM amn on.

Witnesses: 1 1 FRANK '1. Connie,

lingo Bnaeoms'r, 

